A New Beginning

I’ve always said that my dad had not one, but TWO green thumbs!  This man can make anything grow!  My childhood was spent running down the rows of his grapes and eating his tomatoes like they were apples.  There is a saying that “only mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun.”  I can testify that this is true!  My dad was born in Lancashire, England and moved here when he married my mom, who was studying abroad in Scotland.  They settled in the DC suburbs and my dad became gardener-extraordinaire.  Their one-acre yard in Vienna still produces pears, cherries, peaches, apples, grapes, green beans, peppers, and too many tomatoes to eat!  

While I was enjoying this idyllic childhood in Vienna (where my parents still live), Jason was having his own adventures with over 100 chickens at his family plot in Oakton. His dad used to sell farm fresh eggs, and the original sign still hangs in our kitchen. Since both of us hail from Northern Virginia, we have seen firsthand all the changes. Tyson’s Corner is barely recognizable to us anymore. This is, of course, all the more reason we keep moving further out. We got married and moved to Manassas, where we lived for 15 years. The opportunity to buy Seven Oaks Lavender Farm came knocking and we felt like everything clicked in to place. We had always dreamed of more land and a quieter place to live. And who doesn’t love lavender?

We moved to the Farm on November 11th, 2024 and have been here for four months now. While the winter has been long and cold, we see daffodils and tulips popping up and we are getting excited for our first lavender season. We are filling up the shop with all sorts of goodies; some old favorites and some new things too. The kids have been really helpful - Hope is 16, Matthew is 15, Luke is 12 and Lily is 8 - and they have been helping in the fields, talking to the cows next door, cleaning out the bunny pen, mixing lavender teas and labeling lotions! We also have three adult children, one in Tennessee, one in Richmond and one in South Carolina. All three have been here to check it out and have given it the seal of approval. It’s a true family project. Our extended family has been out several times as well (my poor mother-in-law and sister-in-law have been painting, painting, painting) but overall, everyone is thrilled to have this opportunity. My dad, Mr. Two Green Thumbs, is ready to start planting new lavender!

End of an Era

There isn’t room here to say everything I’m thinking. Or want to say. Or need to say. How could I fit everything about the 20-year journey of our lavender farm into one blog post? So much love, fun, beautiful flowers, pride, dreaming, wonderful farm visitors, hard work, dear farm workers, help from our very large and caring family and as with any phase of life some hard times too.

And now we enter the bittersweet time of saying goodbye.

Some of you might have seen the slightly cryptic message earlier this summer about us wanting to retire. For a couple months we met with, and talked to, and mulled over all comers to figure out who might be the best family to take the helm of living in the historic house on the property and running the lavender business.

Who had the skills, and energy and faithfulness to keep Seven Oaks Lavender Farm the place you all enjoy visiting every year? The answer turned out to be The Rinker Family! When we first sat down to talk with Katie and Jason, I started the conversation by saying, “Are you part of the Rinkers of Berryville?” Jason gave me a quizzical look and said yes, a bit warily. And I responded, “Well then we are sort of related.” It took us a minute to figure out Jason was a first cousin to my brother’s first wife, Kay, the mother of his two sons. Kismet!

Allow me to introduce The Rinker Family in their own words:

Hello! We are Jason and Katie Rinker! We are thrilled to be the new owners of Seven Oaks Lavender Farm.  Continuing the legacy Deb and Edie started is an honor for us.  We have seven children, four of whom still live at home; Hope 16, Matthew 14, Luke 12 and Lily 8. They can’t wait to become lavender farmers and bunny caretakers.  We’ve always called Northern Virginia home (we were both born at Arlington hospital, five years apart). Growing up in Oakton and Vienna, we truly love this beautiful state. We have lived in Manassas for the past 20 years and the local community is really important to us. 

We feel like we are living in a Hallmark movie – owning a lavender farm was never on our radar at least not on Jason’s.  We came to see it on a whim, sure that it was something we would not actually do.  When we pulled up, Deb immediately noted that our last name was Rinker and that her brother had married a Rinker. It turns out that we are related!  Deb’s nephews are Jason’s second cousins.  We decided right away that this was providential.  Once we toured the farm and saw how beautiful it was, the wheels started turning and we couldn’t stop thinking about it. 

Our dream is to continue what Deb, Bix and Edie began and to keep it a thriving family farm, with a few tweaks, but most importantly, a lot of that fragrant lavender!  We really look forward to sharing this exciting new journey with all of you. 

And back to Deb & Edie’s goodbye.

We are currently in a transitional time over the next month or two. We’re moving out of the home, which is the place I’ve lived the longest, all the while collecting a mountain of antiques apparently. We will be open here at the farm this weekend and next (October 19th/20th and 26th/27th) and then will be closing the farm and online farm shop for some time (TBA later) to help the Rinkers get settled in and up to speed. (By the way we are having a huge garage sale, with some of the aforementioned antiques the weekend of October 26th & 27th as well as 25% off in the farm shop and the online shop using code (FALL25) We hope you will come by to peruse and bid us a fond adieu.

All that said, you will probably see us around over next season, here and there, to help the Rinker Family have a smooth transition. It is our wish that you will welcome this new family to the farm and support them in their dream as you have with ours.

Any business is only as good as the percentage of devoted, kind and joyful patrons they have. And in this we have been very blessed.

Cultivating Wellness: A Journey to Health and Wellness at the Lavender Farm

I’m Taylor Welch, Assistant Manager & Wellness Coordinator at the farm. I’ve had the pleasure of working at Seven Oaks Lavender Farm for over ten years. If you are a regular, there’s a good chance you’ve seen me around. Around this time last year, I was entering my last year of Master’s Degree in Public Health at Virginia Tech when Deb called me up and asked if I wanted to join the business in a more formal way after graduation. I did not need much time to think about my response as I couldn’t think of a better idea than to come back to the place that started it all for me. In addition to my normal responsibilities, I will be developing holistic health and wellness at the farm by offering experiences that bring healing to the mind, body, and soul. My vision is to create a space in which people can come to relax and reconnect with the healing powers of nature and plants. In honor of this new role, I wanted to share my story of how this vision came to be.

My journey to health and wellness has been a profound one, shaped by my experiences working at the lavender farm, pursuing my degree, and delving into the world of yoga and ancient medicine. I’d like to share my transformational journey, from healing through nature to recognizing the widespread need for community well-being, and how the principles of holistic practices and self-connection can serve as powerful tools for healing and change.

 Nurtured by Nature – How Farming Healed Me  

Young Taylor tending to the lavender plants in 2016.

From early on, my life was defined by my health challenges. Depression and anxiety cast shadows that seemed inescapable, coloring my perspective, and breaking down my spirit. The diagnosis of an eating disorder in my early adolescence and other chronic conditions that developed as a result added a new layer of complexity to my struggles. Following years were marked by battles encompassing my mind, body, and soul.

During this tumultuous journey, the farm emerged as an unexpected refuge of healing, offering solace for my physical, mental, and emotional well-being. I began working at the farm at the age of 14 and it quickly became my sanctuary, a place where the stress of the outside world faded. The farm’s serene landscapes and rhythmic routines provided a backdrop against which my well-being could take root. The embrace of nature’s beauty became a counterbalance to the darkness of depression and anxiety. The smiles and laughs shared between coworkers reignited a sense of joy in my life. The act of planting, nurturing, and harvesting the lavender became a metaphor for my own journey towards healing. And most importantly, the unconditional love from the owners, Deb, Bix, Edie, and the rest of the family was the ultimate haven in which my heart could heal.

The farm is not only a place of healing for me, but a place of healing for many others. Throughout my ten years of working here, I’ve witnessed thousands of people seek solace in the peaceful ambiance of the farm. Beyond the physical healing properties of lavender, the farm offers a sanctuary where people find rejuvenation. From the moment visitors set foot on the farm, a sense of tranquility envelopes them. This tranquility acts as a balm for the stresses and anxieties of modern life, inviting visitors to leave behind their worries and immerse themselves in the serenity that nature provides. The farm remains a living testament to the power of nature that cannot be replicated in a doctor’s office or in a pill bottle.

Unveiling Community Health Issues

Working with the PATH Foundation and local organizations that work to address health disparities in our community during the COVID-19 Pandemic in 2020.

My own health journey motivated me to help others in their journey. I wanted to help them navigate through their pain and hardships. I wanted to heal the world. My studies in my master’s program opened my eyes to the broader health challenges faced by our communities. Our society is overrun with the hidden epidemic of health disparities, limited access to nutritious foods, and inadequate wellness resources. It was a wake-up call to the stark reality that many people are suffering, not only physically but also mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. Armed with this knowledge, I felt an unwavering call to bridge the gap between nature’s healing potential and the health of our communities.

 Yoga’s Wisdom: Reconnecting and Transforming

Practicing yoga at a retreat overlooking the Pacific Ocean in San Juan Del Sur, Nicaragua.

Yoga, with its emphasis on mindfulness, breath, and self-connection, has been my anchor throughout this journey. Through my yoga studies and exposure to ancient medicine, I began to see the threads that weave nature and health together. Beyond the physical postures, yoga is a philosophy that encompasses mindfulness, self-awareness, and unity with the world around us. Reconnecting with nature isn’t just an escape, it is a homecoming to the source of life, well-being, and total vitality. As I delved deeper into my studies, I began to see how these principles can serve as powerful tools for healing and transformation.

 Bringing it All Together: Illuminating a Path Forward

Butterflies at the farm - symbolizing transformation and hope for this next chapter ahead.

As I stand at the intersection of healing, community health, and self-discovery, I am resolute in my mission to bring about positive change. Incorporating wellness into our communities is not a mere aspiration; it is a transformative endeavor that holds the key to revitalizing our spirits, empowering individuals, and fostering vibrant, thriving societies. The synthesis of my experiences on the farm, my studies in public health, and my immersion in yoga has illuminated a path forward - one where community health is nurtured holistically. By incorporating wellness principles, we can heal the total self; mind, body, and spirit. Here is how I plan to cultivate a place of wellness at the farm:

·      Nature-Inspired Healing Spaces: Providing accessible green space for visitors at the farm where individuals can find solace, healing, and reconnect with nature.

·      Educational Initiatives: Promoting awareness and information about holistic wellness through educational programs that explore all facets of health, holistic living, and self-care.

·      Mindful Practices: Integrating mindfulness, yoga, and other energetic practices that empower individuals to manage stress, cultivate self-awareness and build resilience.

·      Cultivating Community: Building relationships with our customers, neighbors, and other local businesses and to support the overall resilience, success, and well-being of our community at large.

In my journey I’ve learned that wellness is a multifaceted gem that shines brightest when shared. By integrating wellness principles, I hope to heal, uplift, and transform lives and cultivate a space of healing, growth, and vitality. Just as natured healed me, it can heal others. Let us embark on this journey together, hand in hand with nature, to inspire rejuvenation, growth, and a more vibrant and harmonious world for all.

Stay tuned for more to come as I start my own business, Wildflower Wellness Company!

Announcing our first ever Wellness Event at the farm!

CANCELED DUE TO INCLEMENT WEATHER. WE PLAN TO REPRISE EVENT IN EARLY JUNE OF 2024.

Sunflower Power!

In my high school creative writing class, in order to maintain anonymity, we each selected a code name for our work. I chose “Sunflower.” To teenage me, sunflowers were magical. And sturdy and strong. And somewhat other-worldly. They are unique in their power to bring joy. And at 60+ I still feel the same way about them.

This spring we decided to put a good amount of sunflower seeds into the lowest part of the field which retains the most moisture. Lavender doesn’t care a bit about moisture, so we gave over the space to other flowers that do like to have wet feet. We planted sunflower seeds some weeks apart, so we expect to have sunflowers into the fall.

Meaning of Sunflowers

No flower can lift someone’s spirits quite like sunflowers. They are bright and cheery, and as warm and inviting as the sweet summer sun. With brilliant yellow petals, also known as “rays,” sunflowers have an unmistakable sun-like appearance that has made them a crowd favorite, especially in the summer months. Sunflowers symbolize adoration, loyalty and longevity. Much of the meaning of sunflowers stems from its namesake, the sun itself. These flowers are unique in that they have the ability to provide energy in the form of nourishment and vibrancy—attributes which mirror the sun and the energy provided by its heat and light.

(from proflowers.com)

History of sunflowers

The development of the commercial sunflower has been a multi-national effort spanning continents and thousands of years. The sunflower is native to North America and was first grown as a crop by indigenous tribes over 4,500 years ago.

Native Americans cultivated the sunflower from its original bushy, multi-headed type to produce a single-stemmed plant bearing a large flower. The crop’s multiple uses included milling for flour or meal production to make bread and cakes. Seeds were roasted, cracked and eaten whole, either as a snack or mixed with other grains, nuts and pulses into a type of granola.

The early Americans also discovered that sunflower oil could be extracted and used for cooking. Aside from the crop’s value as a food, archaeologists have shown sunflower had a variety of non-food uses. The sunflower’s oils and pigments were used as a sunscreen or the basis for a purple dye for skin, hair or textile decoration, while the plant’s sturdy, fibrous stem was exploited in construction.

The sunflower continued as a staple within North America for about 4,000 years until it was discovered by European explorers in 1510. Spanish sailors were the first to gather up large quantities of sunflower seed and ship it back to Europe.  But for the next 200 years, Europeans overlooked the food and oil-bearing potential of sunflowers. Instead, the exotic-looking flowers became widespread across Western Europe as an ornamental or, to a lesser degree, medicinally as an anti-inflammatory.

Over the past 25 years the sunflower market has continued to grow and it now ranks as the fourth most important oil crop in the world, after palm, soybean, and rapeseed.

Global Top 10 Sunflower Seed Producers 2017 (yield m t)
Ukraine 12.24
Russia 10.48
Argentina 3.55
Romania 2.91
China, Mainland 2.58
Bulgaria 2.06
Turkey 1.96
Hungary 1.89
France 1.62
USA 1.00
Source: FAO 2017 

Artists throughout history loved the sunflower’s unique splendor—those of the Impressionist era were especially fixated on the flower. The use of sunflower images as religious symbols has also been documented in some native societies.

(from nuseed.com)

Vincent van Gogh’s memorable painting of sunflowers.

Some unusual uses:

In addition to uses you are familiar with such as making bouquets, creating sunflower oil, and offering sunflower seeds for humans and birds to eat, sunflowers have some uses you might not know about.

Used for Making Paper: Sunflower stalks or stems have been used in the past to make paper. The stems have fiber from which paper can be manufactured. The Utilization of Sunflower Stalks in Paper Manufacture is an old publication from 1914 which features a study of making paper from cooking the stalks and then beating and bleaching the resulting pulp to make paper.

Providing Pretty and Edible Petals: As well as the seeds, you can apparently eat sunflower petals although I've never tried this. The petals are also sold in a dried form for herbal tea blending and also to use as colorful additions to potpourris.

Feed for Livestock: Sunflowers are also used as feed for livestock and animals. Livestock are able to graze on sunflower fields where they can graze on the heads of the plant as well as most of the stalk. The heads contain most of the nutrition value since the seeds are high in energy and also have protein.

Making Non-Gluten GF Flour: The seeds were originally used by Native Americans where they were ground up to make flour for baking bread and cakes. You can buy sunflower flour and you can also make your own flour version at home where it is especially useful for those following a gluten free diet.

Removing Nuclear Radiation: The roots of this plant have been very effective at removing radiation from soil. They were used to clean up the Chernobyl disaster as well as Fukushima. They provide a real beacon of hope and healing. This amazing plant is now also the symbol of a nuclear weapon free world.

(from sunflowerjoy.com)

Quotes about sunflowers:

Most sayings on sunflowers are positive and make ideal sentiments to add into greeting cards and to send to friends when they need some love, cheer and joyfulness sent their way. Quotations that are ideal for good friends, best friends, new friendships and old.

"Sunflowers are like good friends; they bring happiness and joy to your life." ~ Unknown

"A true friend will overlook the weeds in your garden and praise your sunflowers instead." ~ Unknown

"Flowers have an expression of countenance as much as men and animals. Some seem to smile; some have a sad expression; some are pensive and diffident; others again are plain, honest and upright, like the broad-faced sunflower and the hollyhock." ~ Henry Ward Beecher

"Sow seeds of friendship day by day to enjoy a lifetime of happy sunflowers." ~ Unknown

"Sunflowers are the perfect flower to gift to friends because they symbolize good luck, happiness and everlasting loyalty." ~ Unknown

"Yellow stands for the sunflower: loyal, steadfast and true. A flower that is a symbol of the very best type of friendship that you could hope to have." ~ Unknown

Goodnight sunflowers.

Get some sunflower power!

Come join us at the farm post lavender season for some sunflower picking. We are open every weekend from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and this time of year there is no admission fee. Follow us on facebook and instagram to learn about some special Sunflowers Till Sundown events.

The Call to Adventure

“I lavender, Mommy?”  My three-year-old son, Lincoln, asks as he labors with a spade to create a hole in the mounded soil for a lavender plant.  Leaning on my shovel, I watch him work.  It’s a warm day for May.  Lincoln wears only pants.  No shirt, no shoes.  His face is streaked with dirt.  He’s imprinted by nature, as I had been as an outdoor child.  Giving him fresh air was a big part of leaving New York City for the countryside of Virginia.

Mom and I had purchased our first lavender plants the week before and were planting them in the field in front of my parents’ home.  We bought 50 plants at six dollars each from a well-known nursery an hour’s drive away.  Another 50 plants we scooped up for three dollars a piece at a local nursery.  The farmer next door had prepared the field by plowing and harrowing it.  Between the plants and the tractor work our initial investment was $600.  And we had spent some back-breaking days mounting the dirt into two-foot-high rows.

“How close should we put these, Mom?” I ask.  

Mom is standing next to me holding a shovel.  “Well, the book says about six feet apart so, let’s use this shovel to measure…that way when they get big the air can circulate around them.” 

“Hmm…that’s pretty far apart.  Will we have enough room for all the plants?”  We look over to the collection of 100 baby lavender plants in trays by the gate.  She was right as usual. We used the shovel measure and put them all in the ground. it was the spring of 2002.

By June the lavender plants had jumped up six inches.  It was exciting to watch them thrive.  Every other day we dragged the hose around to water them.  To celebrate our first lavender season, each young plants sent up about twenty shoots which matured into lovely purple blooms by late-June. Their delicate long stems rose about eight inches from the bushy part of the plant and the buds changed slowly from green, to green with purple tints, to having some purple nubs which then unfolded into fragrant lavender florets.  Lincoln and his cousins spent a lot of time picking flowers against our wishes and chasing the butterflies flocking to the plants.  By the end of June, we harvested and dried our lavender and turned it into gifts for pleased neighbors and friends. 

Lincoln with his own tractor.

When Mom and I surveyed our baby lavender farm, we were excited.  After our twenty years apart, my youth had largely passed, and Mom was just into her sixties.  We also surveyed each other, reveled in our similarities, such as our indefatigable close attention to things we were devoted to, like flowers and children.  We didn’t judge too harshly our differences.  My mother tended to live her life more in reality than her dreamy oldest child who imagined she might live her life as though she were the character in a book.  This trait led me into some adventures and misadventures in my younger years.  We were the human embodiment of the Demeter and Persephone myth.  Unlike Persephone, who was stolen by Hades, I went willingly to dark places.  Like Demeter, my mother was an agrarian goddess, with an amazing ability to nurture plants and children.  It would be my return home, and time with my mother, which would ground me again, as only sunshine and love can do.

My partner, Paul, and our son, Lincoln, had moved away from New York City two months before 9/11.  Our ten years in New York City had been filled so many great adventures and, as is the nature of living in NYC, a lot of stress.  Moving back to Virginia, we hoped, would apply a geographical fix to our relationship problems.  Does that ever work?

In Catlett, Virginia on the twenty acres of my parents’ property, we were dazzled by the sunlight on the plain fields, refreshed by sweet-smelling air and heartened by the people who very often used “please” and “thank you” in everyday conversation.   Paul and I had cleared a lot of money when we sold our Brooklyn home.  When we landed back home on the quiet farm with my loving parents, few bills and a full bank account, we loafed. 

Deb digging.

Catlett had its advantages, but I left most of my friends and my hairdresser, Stephen, behind in the city.  Every few months I’d return for some girl time with friends and a chicer haircut than I really needed for Catlett.  On one visit, Stephen and I chatted about my move and his recent purchase of a home with his boyfriend.  They had opened a shop with many features:  a small hair salon/spa, gift shop, and home-decor shop specializing in aromatherapy and herbs. 

“Ok, Steven,” I said looking at him through my wet bangs in the large elaborate gold mirror in his East Village salon.  “I’ve been thinking of growing something herbal on my Mom and Dad’s farm while I’m living there.  What do you think would sell well?”

“Hmm…,” he thought for a moment, “I would say lavender or rosemary.” 

“Lavender,” I thought, liking the sound of it more than rosemary.  I recalled a trip to France with my mother and sister that we had bought some lavender.  I remembered it had been expensive.  While I lazed around my parents’ house that first summer, I had wondered aloud a few times what herbs or flowers we, my mother and I, might grow for profit.  Later I came across a magazine article about a lavender farm in Texas which reaffirmed my interest in lavender.  Everything I read about lavender seemed to bode well for it being an enjoyable and lucrative crop.  The salient feature of lavender, aside from the multitude of pretty purple blooms per plant, is a clean and decidedly un-sweet scent best known for its ability to aid relaxation and sleep. The dried blooms and the essential oil made from distilling fresh blooms can be used in a large variety of products.  Mom and I looked through purchased lavender books to see what we might craft from the dried lavender in addition to raising the plants for fresh bouquets.  After twenty years of living apart, we were enjoying our connection with each other and with the lavender project. We pored over information and discussed it incessantly--to the point of annoyance for the rest of the family.  During one of our lavender conversations, which went on to long for the men in the family, they started to chime, “Lavender, lavender, lavender, lavender, lavender,” in mock girlish voices. 

 “Laugh if you want, but his is going to be great,” I retorted.

Mom and I were at the start of a journey powered by flowers. She had always been a wonder-mom. With five active children, she’d had twenty years of full-time homemaking starting in her very early 20’s. She had never gotten to use her college degree to teach as she’d hoped she would after college. So now, in her early sixties, a chance to put many of her skills to use, outside the home, developed. To create something. To build a business.

Our first lavender harvest.

My family had never raised any traditional crops other than an over-optimistically large garden behind the house and, once or twice, a small field of sweet corn.  My parents’ farm was more of a farmette than a farm.  The house was a modern-style brick rancher the previous owner had built after purposely burning down the old farmhouse on the property. A small rustic barn and a few outbuildings survived the exercise by the local fire department, and we christened our farm “Oak Springs” for the large oak slowly dying next to a small muddy spring-fed pond.  Oak Springs was home to a variety of creatures:  a horse, a pony, calves, a bunch of chickens, some crazy-acting roosters, a hutch full of rabbits, a few dogs, countless cats and a family of seven humans. 

My mother, who had been raised on a farm, dragged her reluctant husband and five children from their contented suburban lives to experience country living and to remove distractions from our connection to each other.  We were removed from friend and quick commutes. Hour and a half school bus routes were an endurance test.  I was fourteen and not entirely happy about the move.  It was on this farm that I weathered my teenage years before gladly going off to college.  After escaping back to civilization, I swore off the countryside for good.  I thought.

That was the 70’s and now in the aughts I was back after all. Enjoying unlimited time with my child.

“What are you doing?” I called from the couch in my parents’ small family room, not wanting to get up and look into the front hall, tired from a day of working in the lavender field.  There was no answer to my inquiry, so I got up.

Lincoln had the screen door pushed open and he was yelling toddler babble into the cool night air.  His voice had an edge of reprimand and he was pointing a finger.  When he saw me, he let the screen door slap shut and walked away, only to turn quickly on his heels, rush back to the door, push it open and started shouting again.

“Who are you yelling at?” I asked trying to peep into the dark front yard to see if anyone were there.

“The moon, Mommy!” as if it were obvious one could have an argument with the moon.  I looked out the door and saw the moon’s full face was oppressive as it hung low above the trees.

“Well come on, you are letting the cold air in and it’s time for bed.”  We headed back toward my old bedroom at the end of the hall, to put on pajamas and read some books.  Bedtime reading was one of my favorite parts of parenting, because it had to do with books.  My relationship with books had always been strong and steady.  Books gave me the world.  When reading I could go anywhere.  They informed my views on almost everything, friendships, religion, cuisine, writing, government, travel, loss and love.  Books helped me define myself.  Because I was a reader, I became a writer.  Books were the friends with whom I spent most of my teenage years. 

Lincoln was a long-awaited child. He was born in my very late 30’s. I kissed his fat cheeks 50 times a day and doted on him. After I put Lincoln to bed in his own room, which had been my brothers’ room in the old days, I want back to my old bedroom. I was alone, as Paul was visiting his family and friends in Norfolk, Virginia. Settling down in bed, I listened to the sound of the television at the other end of the house. My Dad liked to watch late night shows. He was a night owl. And Paul was a night owl. He was a musician. And Paul was a musician. These things they shared. But while my father had made a sacrifices for his wife and children, Paul was less interested in becoming supportive in the ways I wanted him to be. It was the classic relationship conundrum of choosing a person for who they are and then expecting them to change and become someone else. After being focused on Paul and his musical dreams for years, as I approached middle age, I wanted to change the focus. To myself. To put to use my creative skills to build something. And leave some sort of legacy. The teenager with dreams of escape, would have been shocked to find her future lay in rural Virginia, running a flower farm with her mother.

Lying in my bed that night, I picked up a book about lavender.  I read in the book that lavender signifies luck.  Perhaps, I thought, lavender would bring luck in figuring out the right thing to do next.  At the late age of forty-two, I still needed to decide who I was going to be.  I kept reading.   

Mom, Edith, at work in our first lavender field.

The History of the Mr.

Bix Skahill didn’t always live the glamourous life of a lavender farmer. He married into the lavender farm business in 2018, when he and Deborah tied the knot.

(See the Waltz of the Flowers blog post about the wedding.)

Before moving to the farm permanently in the spring of 2020, Bix lived in St. Paul, Minnesota and wrote fiction, taught film classes at a local college and raised his child, Ash. But before Minnesota, Bix had an illustrious career as a screenwriter, filmmaker, and to a lesser degree, an actor.

Bix was born and raised in a small town in Iowa, the youngest of seven. He attended University of Iowa where he majored in film and writing. After graduation, Bix moved to Seattle and began working on commercials, rock videos and industrials. He worked in the props department on Northern Exposure for a couple seasons. An early film experience was working on the Academy Award winning movie, Fargo.

While working on the production, he talked Joel and Ethan Coen into casting him as the nighttime parking lot attendant. Bix had one line in the film, but even better, he got shot by Steve Buscemi.

Other projects Bix worked on: Sleepless in Seattle, Grumpier Old Men, and Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Movie. In 1997 Bix moved to Hollywood full time and got his first gig writing a snowboarding movie. None of the projects he worked over the next couple years got produced, but in 1999, one of his screenplays, Chain of Fools, was produced by Warner Bros.

Bix’s next project, Life Without Dick, was produced in 2000. On this film, Bix not only wrote the script but also served as director.

Here is absolutely everything about the Mr.’s film career.

IMBd Website

While in Hollywood, Bix’s son Ash was born. Ash has been working at the farm a few summer now, so you will probably see him when you visit. He graduated high school this year and will be attending a cool little Pennsylvania school, Ursinus College, in the appropriately named town of Collegeville.

Bix cleans up well. Here is the suave groom on his wedding day. This later in life marriage has been a breath of fresh air for Deb and Bix. Deb feels like she is a lucky lady to have found someone to have great conversations with, strong shoulders to help out with a laborious work load at the farm and Bix ALWAYS makes her laugh.

Waltz of the Flowers

In September of 2018, there was a wedding. It’s theme was a marriage of flowers and writing as the bride was a flower farmer and both the bride and groom were writers. They had met in and MFA for Creative Writing program years earlier. Deb studied nonfiction and Bix’s track was popular fiction. The wedding was very much DIY as it was a second marriage for them both and as was said before: farmer and writers. The bride was a Virginian and the groom from Iowa originally, but they were living, part of the year, in St. Paul, Minnesota at a wonderful place called The Schmidt’s Artists Lofts or “The Beer Castle” as they sometimes referred to it. Their residence resembled a large red brick castle with crenulated roof lines and in years past it had been a storied Midwestern Brewery.

Lavender is such a huge part of Deb and Bix’s summer lives, they decided to eschew it for their wedding day. The color theme of the event was pink, blue, white and brown. Brown? You might ask. They felt it added a earthy element to the otherwise kinder colors. The flowers were purchased at the local farmer’s market and the bride created this easy breezy arrangement for the ceremony area.

Deb chose a floral gown as her wedding dress. And Bix wore a floral themed shirt and, if you look carefully, a leather belt embossed with flowers. They had purchased the belt a few days earlier at the Minnesota State Fair, at a stand where they put strips of decorated leather together with the buckle of your choice. The man at the stand gave them a really funny look when they told him the belt was for Bix. Deb kept the wedding bouquet simple with white and ivory tones as there was already a lot of pattern and color going on.

The reception space was decorated with antique books, small flower arrangements and roses made from book pages.

It was a short ceremony and the vows were written by the bride and groom of course. Followed by some self-congratulatory high fives at the end.

THE FOOD! Deb imported a good friend and Virginia chef who made the most scrumptious Southern delicacies, like sweet potato biscuits with Virginia ham and watermelon salad.

The wedding cake was on theme too. And Edie, Deb’s mom, made a special tablecloth for the cake table. And more book page paper roses were employed.

As gifts for the folks who helped them celebrate, Deb, with the help of family members, sewed up these book marks with fun papers, quotes about love and marriage by famous authors and silky tassels in keeping with the wedding colors.

A family was created that day too, for what was originally two “only children.” Lincoln on the left and Ash on the right had some fun with their “poses” and as bartenders at the reception.

A kiss recorded by the wedding photographer in the “golden hour” created a favorite wedding photo.

Their love story is bound to end up in a book one day.

Emerson Creek Pottery

For many years we carried a lavender pattern in trays, mugs, and tea cups that was sourced from an Australian company called Ashdene. A couple years ago they quit shipping to the United States as it became prohibitively expensive. As we had sold through a lot of the stock we were carrying, this spring we started wondering about where we could find a new lavender pattern in such items.

We googled our question. And to our surprise a wonderful Virginia company popped up! Emerson Creek Pottery.

We inquired and they approved us as a vendor (they are particular about who carries their product.) So moving forward you will find their wonderful, handcrafted, lavender designed ceramic products in our shop (virtual and online). All made here in Virginia with clay sourced from Pennsylvania. 100% American!

Check out our inventory of Emerson Creek Pottery here.

HANDCRAFTED

Emerson Creek Pottery’s handmade pottery is special. Like snowflakes, no two pieces are completely identical. Our pottery is made by people who handle and shape each piece in many stages prior to the finished pottery arriving in your home. Every step, from mixing clay, forming, finishing, glazing, painting, firing, packing, and shipping, is completed by people. Each piece of our pottery goes through at least eight pairs of hands before finding its way into your hands.

Emerson Creek Pottery, located in Bedford, boasts beautiful ceramic pottery in clean organic designs. Created in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia in the American tradition of quality ceramics. We currently feature many different lines of ceramic pottery. Including our beloved signature line, Field of Iris, a classic since 1977. Constantly evolving we add new patterns, glazes, and forms often, such as our new Onyx Black and Pearl glazes, a step back to the basics. All of our work is microwave and dishwasher safe, lead-safe cadmium-safe and ovenproof.

Emerson Creek Pottery’s ceramic pieces have been featured at Mt. Vernon and Monticello and the Smithsonian Institution. Influenced by the energy of Early American cobalt decoration, owner Jim Leavitt founded Emerson Creek Pottery in 1977. With its original log walls, original fireplace, and three double-barrel chimneys, the cabin which houses the Emerson Creek Pottery Outlet Store offers considerable interest to those wishing to steep themselves in the rich history of the region.

Our guests enjoy the opportunity to connect with the past by experiencing the special quality of our handmade ceramic pottery, which continues a true American tradition handed down to us from Colonial times. From humble beginnings in clay and a single potter’s wheel to today, where the pottery is home to a hardworking team that creates beautiful and functional work using sustainable methods and traditional techniques. All clay, glazes and design colors are made on-site with formulas developed and tested over many decades. Inspired by early American Cobalt decoration on stoneware pottery, early work featured simple designs (Lone Pine Tree, Single Iris) hand-painted with a Sumi-e brush over porous glaze and stoneware. Sumi-e brush painting is a 2000-year-old art form developed in Japan. Sumi-e means ‘black ink painting’. Early designs were one hue as Sumi-e implies. Over time, many colors and brush sizes have been added.

THE NAME EMERSON CREEK

Emerson Creek Pottery is named for a historic creek in New England flowing by Emerson House, where the founders first began making pottery. Uxbridge Massachusetts is home to Emerson Brook, which flows into the Blackstone River.

Emerson Brook is mentioned in a 1732 text as a desirable stream running through town with desirable mill sites. 

An 1889 book “History of Worcester County, Massachusetts” (Duane Hamilton Hurd/J.W. Lewis & Company) offers: Emerson Brook moves southeasterly…until its confluence with the Blackstone, on the farm of Millins Emerson. Its course is about five miles long, much of the way a very rapid, turbulent water, and has fall enough, if its water could be stored and used to advantage, to run all the machinery now in use in the town. It supplies the power for Lee’s Mills and the mills of Zadok A. Taft. It is one of the finest brook trouts in this section.

THE MOVE TO VIRGINIA

The potters moved from Massachusetts to Virginia in 1977 and built a wood timbered pottery studio on site.

Today the original studio is surrounded by several additions as the production and team have grown. The property was home to the Wade Family, descended from Jeremiah Wade (1724-1772) who settled in Bedford County.

The inventory of Jeremiah’s estate at death included one man’s hat, one old saddle, and one white horse.

Jeremiah’s sons, Isaac Sr, Jacob and Joshua all served in the Revolutionary War; markers in a local cemetery honor the Wade Family’s service in the Revolutionary and Civil Wars. 

Isaac Sr. (1756-1823) had a son Jeremiah (1780-1849) who built the west section of this house in 1825.

In 1862 Silas Wade (son of Jeremiah) purchased the estate of his father (for $1) on both sides of the South Fork of Falling Creek, the same on which said Jeremiah Wade resided at the time of death. Silas Wade (1818-1894), a blacksmith and farmer, built the east addition. 

Silas’ son Pleasant Wade (1852-1930) and his children were the last Wades to own the property and live in the Wade House.

In a land transfer record from 1881, Silas & Nancy Wade conveyed to Pleasant, 400 acres on the property he now resides, cattle, sheep, hogs, horses, wagon & harness, and one set of blacksmith’s tools with all my plantation tools of every description.

In a 1922 land transfer, the property description mentions a “Wade’s Shop.”

What is now Emerson Creek’s driveway used to be one of the primary roads in this area, known in 1864 as Shingle Block Road. Wade’s Shop was Silas Wade’s blacksmith shop, once located south of the house.

DESIGN PROCESS

All clay, glazes and paint hues are made on-site here in Virginia with formulas developed and tested over decades. Initial forms are hand-thrown and produced through slip-casting or pressing. Each piece is finished and glazed by hand. Designs are still hand-painted by artists who develop brush techniques to quickly capture the spirit of the complex natural environment. Sumi-e brush painting is a 2000 year old art form developed in Japan. Sumi-e means ‘black ink painting’. Early designs were one hue as Sumi-e implies. Over time, many colors and brush sizes have been added. Each artist who joins the team is trained in Emerson Creek techniques and develops their own style. You will find the artists’ initials on the base of each piece with our name and year.

Here at Seven Oaks Lavender Farm we are super excited about offering you these future heirlooms!

Mixing & Matching

We are creators and experimenters, so over the years, in addition to our "all lavender" essential oil products, we have paired lavender with other sympathetic essential oils and fragrance oils to create a variety of pleasant blends.  Generally, we find that lavender hides a bit, so usually the blends are five parts lavender and one or two parts other scents. If you want to experiment making blends yourself with your essential oils, you can start with this recipe and tweak it to your preference. Naming things is fun! Some of our blends have French-sounding names or what we refer to humorously as "Frenglish."  (As you'll see in our family story there is a "French Connection" and it's also nice to put all those hours spent on high school French for use for something!)  These eight blends are available in linen sprays, soy-wax candles and lovely lotion. They are as follows:

*June Bloom (Lavender & Honeysuckle) Created in 2017. In June the lavender blooms, and around the farm in a less auspicious place than the lavender field, honeysuckle blooms trail along the fence rows. So sweet. Brings back childhood memories. These two scents pair in an irresistible way.

L'air de Lavender (All Lavender)  Simple favorite.

Lavande et Menthe (Lavender & Spearmint)  Calms you down and wakes you up!

Lavender Sunshine (Lavender, Lemongrass & Sweet Orange)  Created in 2010.  Imagine standing in the lavender field on a sunny day. Loved by all!

*Lavender Vanilla (Lavender & Vanilla) created in 2018. Toasty vanilla enlivens the scent of lavender.

*We believe in the healthful, natural and healing properties of essential oils and when we can use them exclusively.  But in a some cases, the flowers we love do not produce essential oils, so we do use fragrance oils for those.  Currently the fragrances we use are rose (Madame), vanilla (Lavender & Vanilla), Lily of the Valley & Gardenia (Lavender Belle) and honeysuckle (June Bloom).

‘How could such sweet and wholesome hours
Be reckoned but with herbs and flowers?’
- Andrew Marvel

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Things Change: Farm Photographer, Seana Shuchart

Hello friends of the farm!  I'm Seana Shuchart (formally known as Seana McCroddan).  I’ve worked alongside Deborah and Edith Williamson at Seven Oaks Lavender Farm for four years, helping out with everything from A to Z.  If you are a regular, there's a good chance you've seen me following clients around the field with a camera or helping out in the Lavender Shop.

This past year has brought many changes in my life.  After living in Colorado for awhile, I moved back to my home state of Virginia, got married, re-branded by business, and am now prepping for our 2018 Lavender Season and the first Lavender Festival! So many exciting changes called for a blog post! :) 

Marital Status Change:  The Wedding

I met Brian, my best friend and now husband, during our freshman year of college. As the years progressed, so did our relationship and so did my love for photography. We dated through school and after graduation, started our first jobs.  His field is technology while my first love is photography.  It didn't take long until Brian popped the question and I said "YES!"

After a year of planning, our wedding was held last August.  Brian is originally from Pennsylvania and I am from Northern Virginia, so we decided to meet in the middle and have our wedding on the shores of the Chesapeake Bay at Kent Island.

Brian has always dreamed of having his wedding by the water with a big, messy seafood boil, and I always pictured mine outside on a warm summer day. So, that is exactly what we did. I wore sandals under a spaghetti-strapped dress, we chose beautiful muted ivories, blushes and grey-blues for our décor, and our guest count expanded at least three times during our planning process :) It was a perfect evening full of family, friends, delicious seafood, laughter and gorgeous sunsets.

I wish we could relive it every day!

Business Change:  Re-branding my Photography Business with My New Name.

You don’t’ realize how much work goes into a brand until you have to come up with one from scratch!  My photo company was turning four, and with everything I'd learned, larger goals, and a name change -- it was time for an upgrade. I transitioned from Seana McCroddan Photography to Seana Shuchart Photography on the first of the year.

My talented sister, Rachel, of Rachel McCroddan Design and Photography, and I,  spent six months creating the re-brand.  While I excel at "the big picture" and photography, of course, she is fantastic at moving things along and the finer details that can make all the difference. We worked carefully to choose the perfect set of colors, fonts, images and words to fill a design board that would accurately convey the experience I offer clients.  Because I predominantly shoot outdoors using natural light, we chose relaxed but elegant fonts and beautifully muted tones you typically find in nature (blue-greys, sage-y-greens, burnt pinks and muted golds).  And this design board informed our choices for the new website.

It was very exciting to launch my new website recently and it was a blast to work with my sister on this creative project.  We are proud of how it turned out!  Please take a look for yourself by visiting www.seanashuchart.com or my Facebook business page at Seana Shuchart Photography.  I would greatly appreciate any feedback you might want to share!  You'll find details for booking Farm and Field Portraits there and below.

The Upcoming Lavender Season:  Field & Farm Portraits 2018

Seven Oaks Lavender Farm is the perfect destination for families and couples looking for a rustic, down-to-earth location for their photos. We call them Field & Farm Portraits because not only do we use the lavender fields for our sessions, but also include many of the unique settings on the sixteen acre historic property. Between the purple blooms, golden grassy fields, white-boarded shed, large oak trees, old growth boxwood bushes and rustic outbuildings…there is a great variety of backdrops. It is my absolute favorite place to hold portrait sessions!

As I have been working and shooting at the farm for years, I know the property well and have mastered all of the best spots and angles at specific times of day. It is such a fun place for pictures, especially for younger children, because our large farm gives them plenty of space to run around, be themselves, and explore.  And adults will find themselves relaxing while they enjoy the sights and aromas of the lavender field.  These things all contribute to getting naturally appealing, casual and beautiful portraits.

You may sign up now for our limited weekend spots.  They fill up fast! Choose a 30-minute Mini Session or 1-hour Standard Session. They are held between June 10th -24th before and after hours when the farm is closed to the public. When you contact me, I will ask for your preferred dates, times and a deposit to hold your spot.  And then I will be in touch a few times before your session to go over specifics (rain dates, parking, attire, etc.).

All are welcome here.  I look forward to helping you make beautiful, lasting memories here at Seven Oaks Lavender Farm!

Lavender Farm Love Story

After five plus years of singledom, Deb got serious with this guy.  Deb and Bix met years ago during an M.F.A. Creative Writing program in Maine.  They reconnected in the spring of 2015 at a writing conference.  True love ensued. 

Deb's other great love, son, Lincoln is graduating from high school this spring.  Freed from full-time Mom duties, she has been convinced, by Bix, to move to St. Paul, Minnesota after lavender season this year for part of the year.*  Yes, yes....the snow bird is flying the wrong direction!  Bix is a writer, filmmaker and recently started a small press.  Deb is looking forward to having more time for her writing.  In fact, she is in the process of writing a memoir about the journey beginning in 2002, starting and growing the successful lavender farm business with her mother, Edie.  And then meandering through the ups and downs along the way....right up to Bix. 

(Deb & Bix returned full-time to Virginia in the spring of 2020)

Home Aromatherapy!

By Katherine Oakes for Modernize.com

Holistic remedies, like the use of essential oils, have become more widely-accepted in recent years. Lavender is perhaps the most recognized and commonly-used essential oil by far, and according to the National Association for Holistic Aromatherapy it reduces stress and anxiety and assists with the regeneration of skin cells either with wounds, burns, bites, or irritation and itchiness. In other words, aromatherapy is nothing to sniff at.

Fortunately, lavender aromatherapy can be enjoyed easily in the comfort of your home to create an even more soothing and relaxing atmosphere. It’s eco-friendly and turns your home into your own private sanctuary? At Modernize, we couldn’t think of a better reason to stay in.

Here are 4 ways to enjoy all the benefits of lavender oils

Sachets

A sweet and simple way to enjoy the benefits of lavender’s heavenly scent in your home is with the use of sachets. Small muslin pouches filled with dried lavender, like the one from Seven Oaks Lavender Farm, work great and look great when placed in different nooks and crannies around the house. Place a few in the bathroom along with your toiletries in a cute basket to spruce the space up and keep things organized. Keep one or two in a sock or lingerie drawer to give your garments a fresh and lovely scent.

Lavender Linen Spray

While sachets most certainly get the job done, a lavender linen spray is a more concentrated form of the essential oil that you can spritz directly onto whatever fabric or material that you like. Since this linen spray is a natural alternative to other home fresheners that are likely to be filled with harmful chemicals and airborne carcinogens, you can apply it generously throughout your home without having to worry about what you’re releasing into the atmosphere. Spray it on your pillows and sheets before bed for a peaceful nighttime ritual, or use it on your couches and chairs when they start to get that “lived-in” sort of smell.

Lavender Infused Bath Salts

It’s hard to imagine anything more soothing than soaking in a hot tub with lavender scented bath salts, like these from Seven Oaks Lavender Farm. Bath salts aren’t just comforting because you are completely immersed in steaming hot water with nothing to do but relax and close your eyes after a long, hard day of work—okay, well maybe that is a big part of it, but bath salts reduce inflammation and irritation in your body in the same way that lavender does for your skin. These two ingredients together enhance the other’s medicinal properties, making it a truly healing experience.

Essential Oil Diffuser

Diffusers are a great and effective way to enjoy the benefits of an aromatic essential oil like lavender. Inhaling these scents by way of a diffuser is healthful for your respiratory system and your state of mind. As our bodies absorb the diffused molecules of the oil from the air, it can have a direct effect psychologically by reducing stress and anxiety. All it takes is a simple sniff.

Find all of these items at here on the website at the Online Shop!

Field & Farm Portraits

June is a busy time here at the farm.

Early spring quickly arrives after a chilly winter break, and it is a time for prepping, planning, and working hard to get the farm season-ready. Around June 1st, the buds on the English lavender begin to form. Mid-June creeps up on us and suddenly we have an explosion of color. Light and dark purples compliment the silvery green leaves of the lavender plants all throughout the four acres of field. Guests visit each day of the season – piling out of cars and dotting the field with sundresses and wicker baskets.

And if you were one of the few guests who arrived a little early or stayed a little late, you may have witnessed the golden hour.

That’s my hour.

From 7-9 a.m. and 6:30-8 p.m. I (Seana McCroddan Photography) was out each day during our season holding portrait sessions.  The “golden hour” is the photographer's dream. It is the time during the early morning and late evening when the sun is low in the sky. This creates soft, “golden” lighting perfect for photography.  I had families, soon-to-be moms, newly engaged couples, and individuals interested in solo portraits drive from all over the DMV to get their photos taken at the farm.

With ages spanning from infants to grandparents and the weather doing its typical summer storm thing, each session was completely different from the next. Various cloud coverage and weather fronts made the lighting vary from day to day, and for a natural light photographer, that is one the best parts of the job – it forces you to be on your toes and work with what you've got. Seven Oaks Lavender Farm is the perfect place for portrait sessions. I may be biased, but it has been my favorite shoot location since starting my portrait business.  It is just big enough where if you know the farm well, you can find a different backdrop and different ways of posing clients to make every single session unique and specific to each family.

And it's not just about the lavender (although that is our favorite part), which is we call them Field & Farm sessions.

If you look out into the cow pastures behind the shop, the rolling hills and golden wheat grass provide a soft and beautiful backdrop. Deb & Edie, the owners of the farm, have yards filled with all kinds of vibrant seasonal flowers that bloom at various times throughout the season. The white wooden doors of the farm garage, the gazebo, and the tall grass lining the lavender field are just some of the many places besides the lavender that I used often throughout my sessions.

And for some of my luckier clients, the farm cat, Fuzz, made a couple appearances as well :)

We wanted to share a few of our favorite photos from all of the sessions this season. It was such a great success this year, we can't thank all of you enough for coming out and enjoying your time at Seven Oaks!

Thank you, and we look forward to seeing you all next June!

The 2016 season dates and photo session info will be posted on the Field & Farm page in early spring – reservations for June 2016 begin then!

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Fabrics on Spoonflower

Any home seamstresses or pattern-lovers out there? We want to recommend a site we LOVE to use for all things fabric!

Spoonflower is a website designed for those selling their own handmade patterns (like us) and those looking to use them. It is designed in a way that allows you to search for your pattern needs in a super simple way. You can choose the product you are looking for (fabric, wallpaper or gift wrap) and then narrow your search based on color, tags, availability and/or location. There is a huge variety of patterns on the site, which makes for a refreshing selection for those looking to get inspiration for a project.

Lavender Garden

We have three of our hand-designed lavender fabrics on their website available for purchase. These patterns are used for many of our handmade products (pillow mates, mug mats, eye pillows and dryer sachets to name a few) and can be used by you for any crafty ideas you may come up with! 

The patterns, Lavender Garden and Lavender Farm Road, were created for us by designer (and recent formal family member, Cata Ferreira) pictured below teaching watercolor classes at the farm.

Cata, who recently married the eldest Williamson grandchild, Marcos.

The pattern, Lavender March, was created by moi from a little watercolor I painted of one stem.  That was used to create a repeat of lavender stems on the march!

Be sure to take a look at http://www.spoonflower.com/profiles/sevenoakslavenderfarm and share with us some of the crafts you've made by using Spoonflower!

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Candle Making Steve

Our first guest blog post!

As you may know, many of the products we sell are all-natural and handmade right here on the farm. But there are a few, like our candles, we have made off-farm by some of our favorite people.

Mr. Steve - radio DJ by day, candle maker by night - bugged us repeatedly until we finally agreed to start a partnership 7-8 years ago. It ended up being a great decision, the products he makes are full of aroma and character, and he was kind enough to write up a blog post shedding light on his waxy expertise. Enjoy!

Candles. 

Ya got your wax, wicks, scent oils, container. There you go. Right?  Not so fast partner.

Before Seven Oaks Lavender Farm was able to sell all of its beautiful candles you see, there came hundreds of hours of testing and sniffing.

Imagine a cook in a kitchen. Their job is to make a cake. Ingredients include flour, sugar, eggs, butter, chocolate, and milk. The problem for the cook is there is more than one type of flour, sugar, butter, chocolate, milk, and yes even eggs! So many possible combinations with all the varieties involved.

This is the same when it comes to making candles. The trick is to match the correct candle ingredients together so it burns down to the bottom, with no leftover wax, and have a scent that will put a smile on your face.

Lavender essential oil is a great oil to work with. Combine it with natural soy wax and it fills the air with its signature relaxing scent. It's also very receptive to partners - lemongrass, spearmint, ylang ylang, plumeria to name a few. These and a couple others are blended with lavender essential oil and made into candles for Seven Oaks Lavender Farm that each have their own unique scent.

And they burn slowly and evenly right down to the bottom.

Another feature which may be the most important is that soy wax burns cleanly. After all it comes from soy beans. Compare this to where paraffin wax comes from. Crude oil. That's the dirty little secret the big candle companies don't like to talk about.

Seven Oaks candles are all made from soy wax and lavender essential oil.

Pure and simple.

Burn with confidence.

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Insight on the Field Expansion

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As many of you know, the past six months have been dedicated to expanding our lavender fields to be three times in size. And as cold and snowy as this week has been, we are so glad we went through the process of increasing and protecting for our baby plants!

Why expand? As attendance has dramatically increased over past 3-4 years, field expansion was necessary to keep up with demand. Over the years some customers had mentioned they were expecting a field with a more traditional row design.  We like to make our customers happy, so we decided not only to expand, but to completely redo our lavender field.

The field expansion was long and exhausting process with so many different steps and decision points. For those of you wondering how the process worked, we wanted to give a little inside look into the steps it took to get the field where it is today!

But before we do that, we have to give a special shout-out to our employee, April Schmidt.

April supervised most of the field re-do with love and care.  (April, who has worked with us off and on for three years will be pursuing an off the farm job after receiving her  Master of Public Health with the Concentrations: Maternal and Child Health; Health Education and Communication.)  April first removed ground cloth from the old field, helped build the new field rows, covered them with ground cloth, moved many large old plants as well as planting hundreds of new plants, watering them and finally assisting in covering all the rows with frost cloth to protect them over the winter. Thank you April, we really couldn’t have done it without you!

And here is a little look at our expansion journey!

1.     Research. In order to expand the field, we first had to do our research. Over the past few years, our plants have been suffering from the fungal disease, Phytophthora.   Once a plant is infected by this disease, it slowly dies over the course of 3-4 years and there is no cure. It is very sad for us to watch some of our biggest plants dying a slow death, so, one of our predominant concerns with the field expansion was creating an environment that would make our fields more resistant to this disease.

To do this, we developed a 3-prong strategy – new field, new plants, new protection. The new field would be different than before – we would mound up the dirt to plant each row and instead of ground cloth between rows, we would use sod. This would absorb moisture (lavender plants like to be dry, they don’t like their “feet wet”) and provide a barrier and weed management. We would also source brand new plants. These plants, a hybrid called Phenomenal, are resistant to the Phytophthora. (Head up!  We will also be selling Phenomenal lavender plants this summer.) We also began using a bio-organic product to form a barrier around the roots of the plants to keep disease from attaching itself to the root system.

2.     Labor. This was by far the most time-consuming part of the expansion. We started by taking up all the ground cloth in the old field while having the new field plowed.  Post-plowing, we mounded dirt and installed the new ground cloth on top to form rows running down the length of the front field. When this was completed, holes were cut in the ground cloth for each plant (about 4 feet apart). Then we were ready to get the babies!

3.     Purchasing Plants. In the middle of the labor process, a good farm friend, Charlie Resnik, hopped in his old van filled with impromptu shelving and took a day trip up to Pennsylvania to bring home the new Phenomenal plants.

4.     Organizational Chart. We created a hand-drawn chart to map out each plant type and its location in the field. Even though we only bought a few new varieties, we have many others varieties of lavender plants from the old field. We created a small open lawn space in the center of the new field. This area will be home to a new gazebo....a great focal point and prop for photos!   We placed our largest plants as a border to the lawn, so the back drop would be as purple as possible.

5.     More Labor. We planted the freshly arrived baby Phenomenal plants and dug up and replanted the mature plants not infected with Phytophthora into the holes in the the new field. By this time, it was late fall and we needed to start preparing the plants for winter. To do this, hoops were placed in the ground (and by placed, we meant using every ounce of strength in our arms on the days the dirt was nearly frozen) and then frost cloth was cut, placed over the hoops, and the ends covered with dirt (again, harder than it sounds) for each of the 20 or so rows. Even though time consuming, this step is extremely important as it protects the plants from wind and snow and raises the temperature under the cloth by ten degrees.  Lavender is really only tolerant of cold down to 10 below.

6.     Future. As the winter rolls on and we start seeing signs of life in the early spring, we will plow up the old field and extend the new rows up to the top of the knoll. By the time this is finished, our 1 ½ acre field will have expanded to 3-4 acres, and that’s only in a year!

Come summer, there will be a large variety of sizes and types of lavender. This variance in size will continue into the next few years as the babies grow into mature, thriving adults. We added 8-10 perennial herbs last year which will be available this year for cutting, and we just added 10 new rows of other types of perennial flowers available for picking as well.

With all of these changes, we think it will create a layered and  impressive vista – perfect for summer day-trips to the country to pick flowers, or herbs, picnic and enjoy the scenery.   The new field will create a dramatic backdrop for selfies, photographs, or professional portraits!

As always, we'd like to thank you for your support of small agriculture in Virginia.  We look forward to showing off the new field in Season 2015!

Making Our Room Sprays

Do you know and love our room sprays?

If so, than you may already know that we have 10-12 different varieties, all with their own special mixes of lavender and other floral scents. Each one is made with all natural ingredients and provides a way to add a nice fragrance to your house without the use of chemicals.

If you’ve been thinking of making your own spray – maybe you have a particular scent that you want to experiment with, or you want to make one of your favorite store-bought brand sprays more eco-friendly – than here is how we make ours to be all-natural with just the right amount of fragrance!

To begin, the items you will need to have a few items handy:

• Spray Bottles and Caps
• Essential Oil
• Water
• Vegetable Glycerin
• Eye Dropper
• Gallon Jug
• Measuring Cups
• Pouring Cylinder

Then, there is a bit of prep work.

If you are making sprays for the first time, you will need to purchase your preferred scents and experiment with their ratios. For the most part we use essential oil to scent our sprays, but in some cases when essential oil is not available to achieve a specific scent, we use fragrance oil.  If you are using small amounts, these can be found at your local health food store. Larger quantities (like we use) can be purchased online through companies like Essential Wholesale online.

Experimenting with ratios can be a bit time consuming. Using a paper towel, add different drop amounts of various oils onto separate corners of the towel creating different mixes, and see which smells are most appealing to you. If you want to use lavender as one of your scents, we have found that you normally need 5x as much lavender as most other scents because it known as an undertone and its fragrance is easily overpowered.

Next, make sure you have spray bottles purchased. We get ours through SKS Bottle & Packaging, and we typically buy a small (4 oz.) and large (8 oz.) size. For smaller purchases, you can also check your local craft store.

Collect your water, vegetable glycerin and oil. Using your gallon jug, measuring cups and cylinder, mix the water and glycerin. Typically, our water to glycerin ratio is 9/10 water to 1/10 glycerin. The glycerin is added to prevent the ingredients from separating over time. Feel free to add the liquid to any size spray bottle, but know the mixture ratio will change depending on size.

The amount of essential oil or fragrance oil added is up to you. Depending on how potent you want your spray will tell you how much oil to add – the stronger the fragrance, the more oil. Use an eye dropper to put in your preferred amounts into your spray bottles. Be sure this is washed out after completion, as some oils as so strong they can eat away the rubber on top of the eye dropper over time!

After all of this has been completed – shake and enjoy! Good luck with your mixtures and happy spraying! (And for those of you who don't have the time to make your own, you can check out our different varieties in the online shop!)

*Many essential oils are clear but a few and some fragrance oils are darker in color. You might want to pretest using them on a piece of fabric you don't love! 

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How to Pop-Up

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Do you own a start-up home business? Are you looking to expand by leaving the interior of your house and giving retail a try, without a huge commitment?

Well, we tried it and want to share!

Seven Oaks Lavender Farm just recently ran a successful pop-up in Warrenton, Virginia. What is a pop-up you ask? The official dictionary definition describes it as “a store or other business that opens quickly in a temporary location and is intended to operate for only a short period of time.” Basically – you prep, you sell, you leave, that's it.

For those of you thinking of giving it a try or are wondering how much preparation goes into a successful pop-up, we’ve put together a collection of tips and how-to’s. Be sure to keep these things in mind when diving into the pop-up process (and remember, the prep work is the most time-consuming!)

Before- The Prep Work

The Space

1.     Work backwards. Think about your preferred outcome of the pop-up and what you need to decide on in order to meet your expectations. How long do you want this event to last (a month, a week, or one-day event)? What do you want to sell and when you want to sell it? Be strategic in date and time of year, while keeping other nearby events in mind. Take advantage of holidays and any other miscellaneous calendar days that could drive more sales (Ex. We took advantage of “Small Business Saturday”).

2.     Find an appropriate space. Look for empty storefronts and large retail spaces nearby. Many places like this are up for rent, or at least have a portion of space available (possibility of sectioning off a corner). One key to making a profit from the event is getting the space for as inexpensively as possible....free is even better!

3.     Approach Landlord. Once finding an appropriate spot, approach the owner or landlord of the space to discuss the pop-up. Ask if they are open to the idea, what they will charge in rent, what the regulations are for using the space, etc. Have a price point in mind before going into the conversation.

4.     It’s a Deal! Depending on the landlord, a space can be rented by something as simple as a handshake, or by a lengthier process of signing a lease and paying a security deposit (for blemishes, broken items, etc). You and any other vendors may need to provide proof of insurance to owner to safely cover what you are selling inside their space.

5.     Pre-plan the space. Think about placement. Buy decorations, get crafty. Don’t wait until the last minute to think about décor. Even something as simple as a few balloons and a sign outside or seasonal eye-catching items in the storefront can make a huge difference in creating a space that has a professional and thought-out appearance. You want the space to be attractive and inviting to your customers while showcasing your products in their best light.

The People

6.     Vendors. Decide if you want to fly solo or invite other businesses. Inviting other vendors is harder, but it usually attracts a wider audience. How to find others? Use the resources available to you - ask friends with their own businesses, use word of mouth, ask your area’s economic development authority for names of other local small businesses, research craft fairs and what vendors participate and call them, use buy fresh buy local guides, visit farmers markets - just to name a few. You want to choose vendors that enhance and coincide with your business without overlapping too much in product.

7.     Think About Time and Energy. If you don’t have a lot of time and energy to put into the pop-up, go small and just sell your products. Having more vendors dramatically increases the amount of work you will have to do because the amount of organizing, contacting and working out details with each individual vendor.

8.     Payment. When vendors agree to participate, ask them to pay their share of the rent up front....this will keep them from cancelling at the last minute and leaving you to pay their portion of the rent.

9.     Keep staffing in mind. You may want help with set up and take down, but a key to getting sales is personally being there to talk to your customers. It provides them with a face to put with the name of your business, and you are the best person to show off your passion for your products.

The Details

10. Familiarize Yourself. Walk around to other shops on the street and talk to them about what you are doing. Ask if they’d be open to displaying any flyers or posters you make for the event in their storefront. If you are a caffeine-lover or like to go out to lunch, be sure you know in advance where the closest coffee shops and lunch shops are in order to make quick trips during lulls in crowds.

11. Advertise. Use social media. Some easy ways to do this are using Facebook ads and making a Facebook event page, offering a sale only available at the pop-up, and taking advantage of specials. Call your local paper and see if they will print an article or ad and put one on Craigslist as well. Be sure to tell all other vendors to do heavy social media advertising too so that your audience size doubles with each participating vendor.

12. Branding. Create a name for your event and specific artwork for posters that include date/time/address/vendors. It could also include a brief description of what a pop-up is and what products your pop-up is highlighting.

13. Product Strategy. Be strategic in selecting product to sell.   If you are not able to leave supplies overnight for multiple-day events, be sure you choose products that are lightweight, portable and easy to set up and take down.

14. Payment. Decide what payment methods you will be offering to customers and be sure this is advertised. It helps to know where the closest ATM is in the event someone needs more cash in order to buy a product.

15. Design. Decide if you want to create some special attraction outside the store announcing the pop-up (balloons, sandwich board, etc.). Buy the day before so that you are not rushing around minutes before opening.

During- The Day Of

16. Early Bird. If you are the one in charge of the pop-up, get there at least an hour early on the start of the first day. Setting up always takes longer than you think, and some of the other vendors may have questions as they arrive.

17. Helpers. Make sure you have asked for help in advance if you have tables that are too heavy to carry alone or you have a large amount of product that needs to be unloaded. It’s best to be overly prepared with a few extra hands.

18. Remember the Extras. Remember to bring supplies like tape, paper towels, paper and pen, Kleenex, and cleaning supplies. You never know when you are going to need these items.

After- The Take Down

19. Return of the Helpers. If you had helpers for set-up, be sure to ask if they would also come back for take-down. At the end of the pop-up you will want everything to be packed away as quickly and efficiently as possible, and it is always good to have an extra set of hands.

20. Clean Up. Make sure you leave the space looking better than it was when you got it. Use the cleaning supplies you brought on the first day and be sure to sweep, mop, and run a wet towel over scuff-marks on the floor and walls.

We hope these were helpful tips! Be sure to comment or get in touch with us if you have any other questions regarding how to pop-up!

Recipes with our Teas and more....

Thanks to our good friends at Airlie Center we got a mention for our teas in two very unique recipes and one mention for a culinary lavender garnish in The Washington Post!

Chai-Lavender Tea Cocktail

Lemon-Lavender Tea Infused Rice Noodle Soup

Dark Chocolate Mousse with Culinary Lavender Garnish

Yums to the tums.....order some teas or culinary lavender at our Farm to Table shop.

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